


Keeper of Dimensions, Keeper of Regrets

by LordTraco



Category: Puyo Puyo (Video Games)
Genre: Angst, F/M, Headcanon Keeper of Dimension powers, Implied potential for romance, Self-Indulgent, act 7 spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-25
Updated: 2020-07-27
Packaged: 2021-03-05 06:02:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,119
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25499539
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LordTraco/pseuds/LordTraco
Summary: Ringo loses against Tee, and they try to say goodbye. It'd be a mess of emotions even without the unexpected powers. Seriously, visions of other timelines are not helping matters here.
Relationships: Ringo Ando/Tee
Comments: 2
Kudos: 26





	1. I Won't Keep You From Your Life

**Author's Note:**

> I just beat Puyo Puyo Tetris Act 7 yesterday and had my heart ripped out. It didn't help that I'm pretty bad at it and kept losing over and over, feeling guilty that Tee was going to stay trapped forever because of my lack of skill. Sorry if this is OOC at all, if you think you can write it better please do I'm just desperate for some Puyo Angst.

She lost.

Ringo lost.

"He's made his choice. I can only express my gratitude, Tee. I will keep the Tetra safe."

"Tee, no!" Ringo's cry was hoarse in her throat, she was close to tears. Defeat, be it in Puyo or Tetris, was never this devastating. The ramifications of losing a friend to eternal loneliness was too much to bear.

She thought she heard him make some attempt at comforting words, but they were lost in the argument going on between everyone else.

Ess was calling him an idiot, Amitie and Arly were trying to brainstorm another solution, O was smushed against Tee's side begging him not to go [or so she presumed]. That left Ex by her side. It sickened her to be there next to the one who would try to replace Tee as Tetris King and captain. No, it sickened her to be silent along with the man who accepted this outcome.

She didn't want to accept this.

"He's going to repair the tear in spacetime. This will all end soon and you'll forget about him." Ex spoke in comforting tones.

"Is that supposed to make me feel better?"

"I suppose not. I'm a little out of practice." Ex shrugged, but his eyes were genuinely apologetic. 

It came suddenly. Ringo's head spun, people were disappearing around her. She closed her eyes to brace for nothingness but… nothing didn't come? Nothing came? Things stayed the same.

"Ringo…" A tired voice caught her attention.

"Tee?" She opened her eyes to see the empty place lit by those strange purple flames. Tee stood there alone, huffing lightly with an exertion she couldn’t see.

"I sent the others back to say goodbyes." There was a glow about him, a power that hummed in tune with the entirety of the eerie place. He seemed like he belonged there, a natural rightness about his existence there that she couldn’t place. Ringo hated it.

"Then why am I here?"

"Ringo I… I've never made a friend as quickly as I have with you. I know this adventure was stressful and hectic, and I think because you aren't part of my crew I felt I could be vulnerable around you and..."

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying I… I'll miss my crew, but I know they're in good hands. I can leave them because I know how I feel towards them." 

"...But you don't know how you feel about me and are worried you'll regret this if our goodbye isn't good enough?" It came out more accusatory than she wanted it to. Ok maybe it came out exactly as accusatory as she meant, she was pointing at him after all.

"Err! Basically? I um…"

"Tee, I'm really hurting right now. For you to really go through with this, to leave everyone behind…"

"I'm sorry. I didnt-"

"If you were sorry you would have let us all help in some way! Instead you had to barge in like some knight to free the damsel!"

"Ringo, please." Tee slumped, looking down. He looked defeated and sad, as sad as he had been telling her the other Tetris King had vanished.

"Tee, I'm too hurt to give you a goodbye either of us will enjoy."

A the glow around Tee flickered a bit in a way she couldn’t make out.

"Hm. And asking you to stay ends poorly." It sounded almost like he did when making captain’s reports.

"What?"

"You have feelings for another. I saw it. You have a happy and fun future ahead of you, one I can't take away." Tee looked away from her, walking towards the door.

"You would have asked me to stay?"

"In another timeline I did and you stormed off. And in another reality you won and convinced me otherwise and we're eating apples together before the tear is fixed."

This wasn’t like him. She’d only known him for however long it had been, but this wasn’t Tee. There was a detachment to his voice, a heavier weight to his movement. He didn’t hold himself up quite as high or speak with any happiness.

“I will be fine without you, Tee. But that’s why we made such good friends, isn’t it? I don’t need you. Not as a captain, not as a savior, not as anything.”

“I’m not used to not being needed. If I’m honest it scares me a little.”

“Tee…”

“Ringo, I could see it. I could see us being friends, showing each other our worlds, growing closer perhaps and being happy together in hundreds of different paths. I can see them if I try, and I.” Tee sniffled, wiping away tears, “I keep looking. I can’t help it. I thought this job just involved working alone, I didn’t know it came with this power.”

“Tee, look at me.” She reached for his shoulder, turning him towards her. His glow steadied out. “This is me. This is us right now, right here. Whatever could be isn’t real.”

Tee took a deep breath, trying desperately to stay grounded. The pull to look at other times, other possibilities was intoxicating. He could see how loneliness could destroy one here.

“I’m your friend here and now. Your friend you chose to leave behind to save a man you barely know.”

“He’s Ess’s father.”

“HE’S WHAT???” 

“Ess’s father. I remembered while following him. As annoying as Ess can be, her Papa means the world to her. I could never knowingly leave her father here forgotten. I thought that would be enough of a reason to stay…”

“That’s… wow. Ok. That’s a revelation I was not expecting. But that doesn’t change that you’ve trapped yourself for eternity.”

“I have, but I’ve freed others. So permit me this.” He stepped closer, pressing a small kiss to her temple.

She backed up, flustered and embarrassed. She was about to question why Tee had done that, but couldn’t quite remember the name of who she was looking at. Looking around, she wasn’t sure where she was at all. Her memories were fading one by one into nothingness as she fell asleep. 

…

Tee caught her gently in his arms mere moments before she faded away back to her proper world. He loved her, through no fault of her own, but she would never be able to assuage his guilt. She would forget him, as would everyone. This was the destiny he chose, and he would make sure the dimensions were forever safe if it meant never having to lose someone like this again. If it meant never letting her lose him again, it was worth it.

And so, the Keeper of Dimensions went to work, never to waver, never to stray, fueled by simultaneous love and heartbreak for one who would never meet him.


	2. I Don't Need You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What if everything got fixed? And became Canon Compliment again?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm letting this be a self-indulgent jumble of words and emotional projecting at this point. If you want pure angst, stop at chapter 1. If you want some hope and a heaping wallop of introspection and ellipses, continue on.

There was a strange sense of déjà vu to this whole scenario. At first Ringo attributed it to the fact she and her friends always seemed to end up in wacky scenarios and adventures. However she was sure she’d never seen those blocks before, yet she got rid of them expertly. To her surprise, “T Spins” in particular came easy. As if someone had taught it to her. 

There was a sadness eating at her heart that she couldn’t explain. Again she tried to attribute it to the knowledge that the adventure would end and she’d have to say another small goodbye to her friends. At this point, though, it really never felt like any goodbye was forever. Not when a certain couple of friends could fall out of the sky at any moment! 

No, this sadness, this ache that drove her to be flawless in every puyo and tetris game… this was something more. Yet she could not figure it out. Ever since losing to that Ex guy, she had a fear of losing as well. This was the most troubling part. Never had she associated losing at Puyo Puyo as a bad thing. It was for fun after all! Sometimes you lost and that was ok. 

That thought sent icicles to her heart, cold and sharp. There was no reason for it, but she couldn’t deny it happening. 

Maybe fixing the issue with the worlds would help shed light on the issue. However it was hard to get there. Despite travelling to the farthest edges of spacetime, they always ended up back here emptyhanded and confused. Something was happening up there.

“Earth to Ringo! We’ve got a solution!” 

“Huh? Oh, alright, let me hear it!”

“Since sweet Arly and Carbunny asked so nicely~ Myself and Ecolo here have created a portal to the edge of spacetime!”

“That’s incredible!” Ringo said, more astonished the Dark Prince was here and helping than she was about the actual portal.

“Isn’t it? Anything for my Arly and Carbunny!” The Dark Prince gushed, pleased to earn a genuine smile from Arle.

Ringo smiled too, but Ecolo noticed it was off. “What is it, I thought you’d be ecstatic about this!”

“O-oh, I am! I guess I just got lost in thought again.”

“You’ve been doing that a lot lately! Are you sure you’re ok?”

“Yeah, Ringo, I know this has been stressful but please let us know if something is up, ok?” Arle said, putting a hand to her shoulder. 

“We’re here for you!” Amitie said, patting her other shoulder. 

Ringo smiled bright, pulling them both into a hug. “You guys are the best! I’ll spill the beans once we fix things up, but I want to focus on that issue first.”

“Goal-oriented as always, huh? Well let’s use that portal the boys have oh so kindly made!”

…

The moment she saw the purple flames, it rushed back again. Ringo felt tears forming at the edges of her eyes before she fully processed the memories returning. 

“You’re getting faster and faster at getting back here.” A voice spoke from farther inside. When Ringo looked up, it was a teen her age clad in tight, futuristic clothes. 

She knew him.

“I once again request that you leave. It is becoming hard to repair the tears in spacetime with the constant interruptions.” The boy asked, looking pre-occupied.

“I know you.”

“Yep. Old friends. Ringo, we’ve had this discussion five times in the past three days. I know you forget it the minute you leave, but forgive me if I’m losing some patience.”

“You’re…Captain Tee. The Tetris King.”

“Isn’t that Ex’s title?”

“Ex was trapped here and Tee swapped with him. I couldn’t… stop him…”

“Do what you please, I’m just going over there to fix the tear, alright?” Tee walked off further into the mysterious place. It was getting harder and harder each time they came back. He’d lasted a year before the first tear happened and they showed back up, then just as Ex had said, this place was tied to his emotions. As diligent as he was, his desire to see them again made more tears than he could fix.

So it kept happening. They kept coming back. First a year apart, then a couple months apart, then a week apart, and now multiple times a day. Perhaps time was just different here, he could see that happening, but it hurt. It hurt.

He wanted to comfort Ringo, to hold her in his arms and promise that everything would be alright. He wanted to hug her and stop her tears. He wanted to offer to let her stay, he… 

Tee fumbled with a tear he was working on, a single one square tetris block came out and caused him to sigh in defeat. It felt unfair. It felt unfair to his crew that he’d known practically forever that they weren’t even in his thoughts. Fixing things should bring Ai or Zed to mind! Being tired or annoyed of the work should bring Ess, Jay, or Elle to mind. Being lonesome should bring O to mind.

Instead, he sat there crying over some girl he met for a couple days tops. 

“Those always were the pesky ones, but don’t cry over spilled Tetris, Tee.” A voice said behind him. He recognized it instantly as Ex.

“You came too?” Tee asked, not looking back.

“I did. Tee, let’s swap back, I can tell what a toll this has been on you.” Ex put a hand to the boy’s shoulder, only for it to be firmly slapped away.

“I was FINE, Ex. The cause of this issue won’t be solved by swapping back!” Tee muttered harshly.

“Was it Ringo?”

“...”

“Talk about an unfortunate crush, huh?”

“I glimpsed into the future-”   
“What?! Don’t do that!”

“A bit late for this advice, Captain.” He said it in his normal tone, but Ex knew he was trying for sarcasm.

“Tee…”

“I’m not swapping back. I just need…” Tee paused, unsure what it was he needed. He needed to forget about her, but that couldn’t happen.   
“Tee, there’s a portal now. There’s a portal stable enough to stay after returning the balance. My only issue was loneliness, so a portal to go solve that is all I could ask for. And if we swap back, you can forget the futures you saw.” Ex explained, “I can make sure you forget swapping with me.”

“You’d really take back this role? Even if it means not seeing Ess as often?”

“I never should have given it to you in the first place, Tee. But I do admit, I had a lot of fun. It was like a vacation!” He smiled softly. “Something you desperately look like you need.”

“Beat me in a Tetris battle, if you’re sure you want this job back.”

“I wouldn’t have it any other way!”

…

Ringo explained everything to her friends in the meantime, heartbroken and feeling guilty. The others tried cheering her up, but the idea of this being a loop that wouldn’t end pressed heavy on their minds. And the idea of losing Ex instead didn’t seem ideal either.

“Ringo?” She looked up, seeing Tee. He was no longer glowing, and he looked like a mess now that she truly saw him. His hair was in disarray as if he’d been messing with it in agitation, his face had tearstains, there were deep dark bags under his eyes, and he altogether looked like a mess that didn’t belong in this unique, pristine place.

Wait.

He didn’t look like he belonged. He must have swapped with Ex.

“Hi Arle, hi Amit-” Tee noticed the glares being thrown his way. It was fair, he told himself, he had put them all through a lot. Especially Ringo, and she seemed to make friends with the protective type. 

“It’s ok, I want to talk to him.” Ringo said, standing up. The others relented their glares of pure death, well all except Carbuncle, he noted.

They walked a little ways down the winding path in silence.

“So.”

“I’m sorry.” Tee said finally.

“You better be. This was a lot of needless grief that could have been avoided if you’d have just waited half a minute. Ringo and Amitie said that the portal was nearly made when you fixed the worlds the first time.” Ringo said, not nearly as angry or accusatory as he’d expected her to be. 

“Oh…” It was all he could say. To hear that his sacrifice and pain was all his own doing and all for nothing.

“But you couldn’t have known that.” Ringo said, putting a hand to his shoulder. “And the way we were arguing, it’s understandable that you just wanted to make it stop. To make it hurt less for us both.”   
Tee didn’t look at her. It was all for nothing. All of it.

“Tee? Please just… talk to me.”

“What’s there to say?” he asked, still looking into one of the flames off to the side. The ghastly lighting made him look ethereal, like a ghooooo-like a person in very strange lighting. Yep. Not a ghost, he was alive and well.

“Tee you’ve been alone for so long. Please just-”

“I relistened to the captains report about you. Ex described you just as I did, you know that? Alien comedy dance and all,” Tee chuckled mirthlessly, “I waited anxiously for that report every single day, knowing it meant you were coming, but also knowing that it meant saying goodbye again…”

“Tee…”

“I wish I could have gotten reports from you too. I always knew my crew was safe and well, but I would let my mind wander, wondering if you were having a bad day, or wanted a tetris or puyo battle, or were smiling into the sky wondering about starships…”

“So it wasn’t just a crush that made you think of me, it was the complete lack of communication with a friend you worried for and missed.”

“Yeah, that sounds about right.”

“You know, I didn’t get it at first, but I do now. Even I miss Arle and Amitie sometimes, and to think that they might forget who I was and never come back? That’s… not a fun thought.”

Tee shook his head.

“But that isn’t going to be the case anymore. Tee, even if our worlds stop merging, if you aren’t the Keeper of Dimensions, I won’t forget you. And we’ll meet again if the Puyos pop just right!”

“I guess you’re right.” Tee said, straightening up some. He smiled, the first genuine one she'd seen in a long time. 

The smile felt foreign on his face, it was soft and easy, but he hadn't had reason to smile like this in a long time. Then again, he hadn't felt relief from crushing guilt and worry in over a year. This was perhaps what he'd missed most of all: joy.

He didn't need some friendship turned romance, he didn't need physical affection, he didn't need Ringo.

He teared up at the relevation, and she looked worriedly at him.

"Sorry, sorry it's just. I don't need you." Relief flooded his voice. He had needed her for so long, she had been the only one capable of ending his perpetual guilt.

She gave him a look before the meaning of his words reached her memories. "And I don't need you." It sounded like words that should hurt someone else's feelings, but there was an unspoken sentiment there.  _ I want you in my life, when you can be. _

And so, they went back. Tee felt something fading from his mind like a bad dream as he left. He was sad he was going to be saying goodbye to a friend when Ex fixed the merging of the worlds, but it wasn't forever.

They shared apples and marshmallows until that time came, needing nothing from one another, but happily awaiting the next time they could meet.


End file.
